You may have caught Mark Humphries as the imposing presence delivering satire on the 7:30 Report. He serves it with boundless charm and an engaging twinkle of the eye.

You might also have found him as the amiable and accomplished host on the local version of the UK quiz success, Pointless. The television platform seems the likely home for Humphries who grew up with an appetite for television variety and who is the son of a former ABC weatherman. Early forays into a television studio ignited an ambition to entertain and amuse.

Humphries also hosts a passion for musical theatre. He was recently triumphant in the series of Celebrity Mastermind where his special subject, was The Musicals of Stephen Sondheim.

His charm and personality are reminiscent of the television Gods of yesteryear, but with an essential contemporary edge. He is equipped with a smile as broad as a bridge, a mischievous glint that hints at naughty and a masterful way with words - indelible assets for satirical comedy and television variety.

He spoke with Stages examining the challenge of writing and delivering comedy in present times, quiz shows and of course, the magic of the musical.